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Thursday, February 28, 2013

DEFCON 1: Teddy Bears

A military
court in Belarus has sentenced one of its border guards to two years in prison
for failing to protect the country from an invasion by foreign teddy bears last
July.

No guys,
it’s not April yet.

The invading teddies parachuted
into the capital city of Minsk and other outlying areas, carrying placards
protesting Belarusian human rights abuses.

While initially a publicity
campaign carried out by a Swedish advertisement agency seeking to show
solidarity for pro-democracy groups, the stunt has morphed into an all-out
diplomatic war between Sweden and Belarus. In response to the plane drop,
Belarus withdrew its ambassador from Sweden, and president Alexander Lukashenko
issued a state memo declaring that any further “teddy-planes” would be shot
down.

And in the midst of all of this,
the border guard who failed to report the plane in a timely manner has become a
scapegoat.

Not So Cuddly

You may ask
yourself, what kind of nation would so blatantly show hate for teddy bears?
Unfortunately for the teddies, Belarus is a prime suspect. For the last few
years, Belarus has been ranked by Amnesty International as one of the most
dangerous nations with respect to human rights. As the CIA World Factbook
notes, Belarus “while a republic in name is in fact an authoritarian
dictatorship” ruthlessly ruled by Alexander Lukashenko.

In recent years, the regime’s human rights
violations have steadily increased, from the unwarranted arrest of more than
600 political activists and presidential candidates at a rally to strict
sanctions against Jewish and LBGT communities. The US State Department
classifies Belarus as a rogue nation, detailing the government as “a brutal,
authoritarian dictatorship that blatantly ignores human rights and fundamental
freedoms.”

Surprisingly, Belarus is often left
off the list as one of the most restrictive nations in the world. However,
these teddy bears may have just saved the day—bringing the plight of
Belarusians back into the spotlight.